Combined light and signal device



J. JOHNSTON COMBINED LIGHT AND SIGNAL DEVICE Filed 001:. 28. 1922 awed Nov. 27, 123.

- JOHN JOHNSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILIiINOIS.

COMBINED LIGHT AND SIGNAL DEVICE,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN JOIINSTON,{1 citi- I zen of the United States. residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Light and Signal Device, of which the following is a specification. 4

This invention relates to improvements in combined light and signal device, particularly adapted, though not necessarily limited in its use with automobiles and one of the objects of the invention .is to provide an improved, simple, durable, cheap and compact device of this character which will be of a unitary structure and which is adapted to be mounted upon the dash or instrument board of an automobile, and by means of the'use of which the in struments may be illuminated and at the same time there will be provideda visual signal or indicator for indicating whether .or not a light or signal which is carried at a remote point, such as the rear of the vehicle,

is operating or not.

A further object is to provide an improved device of this character embodying in a unitary structure two lamps adapted for differentpurposes, each of the lamps being shielded with respect to and operating independently of each other, and. improved means for rendering and maintaining one of the lamps ineffective.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrange ment of the several parts hereinafter! more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention and in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the device as applied to the dash or instrument board of a motor vehicle.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view. I

Figure 3 is a detail, horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3, Fi re 1.

Figure 4 isa detail sectlonal view taken on line 44, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a View of a detail.

Figure 6 is a view of another detail.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view, with 1 parts omitted, of a modified form of the inventicn.

Referring more particularly to the drawlng the numeral 10 designates generally a portion of the dash or instrument board of a motor vehicle to which is secured in any suitable manner a collar 11, within which collar is arranged a suitable insulating support 12, carrying a socket 13 for an electric lamp and which socket may be of any desired or suitable construction but is preferably provided with a projection 14, which extends through theinsulating support 12 and is flanged against the back thereof as at 15. Connected in any suitable manner such as by means of a binding post or screw 16, is

a conductor wire 17 leading from any suitable source of power.

The socket 13 is preferably of the open type and is provided with the usual bayonet slot openings 18 for receiving the usual lugs on the contact portion 19 of the lamp 20, as is usual in devices of this character.

Connected also with the insulating support 12 is a contact terminal 21 which extends beneath and is out of electrical con tact with the socket 13. This contact ter- "minal 21 may. be supported in any suitable manner but preferably by a portion thereof passing through the insulating support 12 with the extremity flanged against the back of the support. A conductor wire 23 is secured in electrical connection with the ter-- minal 21 by means of a suitable binding post or screw 2%, t

The support 12 together with the socket 13 and the contact terminal 21 constitute a unitary structure and the support is held in position preferably by means of a drive fit into the-collar 11.

A second collar 25 is provided with a rearwardly projecting annular flange 26 and a forwardly projecting annular flange 27, which latter is preferably of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the flange 26, the flange 26 being adapted to pass over a portion of the collar 11 and to be secured in position in any suitable manner such as by means of fastening devices 28, in the form of screws.

The flange 27 of the collar 25 is preferably provided with radially projecting lugs 29 and a cut away portion 30 to permit of the insertion and removal of the lamp 20.

A hood like member 31 is provided with one of more openings 32 in the body portion thereof and also with one or more bayonet slots 32, opening through one end of the hood. The diameter of the body of the hood 31 is of a size to fit over the flange 27 of the collar 25 so that the lugs 29 will enter the bayonet slots 32, after which by rotating the hood 31, with respect to the collar 25, the hood will be removably secured in position.

If desired a suitable translucent element 49 may be arranged within the body portion of the hood 31., to extend over the openings 32. v a

A portion of the body oi the hood is preferably tapered as at 33 and is provided with an opening 34 extending therethrough. The extremity of-the tapered portion 33 of the hood is preferably reduced as at 35 to form an annular flange adapted to receive a hood 36, having an openin 37 therein. This hood 36 may be detachab y secured to the flange 35 in any suitable manner such as by means ofafriction fit. 4

Seated within the flange 35 is an insulating member 38, having therein a socket 39 for the contact portion 400i an electric lamp 41. The socket 39 is provided with a contact portion 42 (see particularly Figure 4), and to which a conductor wire 43 is secured by means of a suitable binding post or screw 44.

A contact terminal 45 is also secured to the insulating support 38 by means of suitable fastening devices 46, and to one of these fastening devices is connected one end of a conductor wire 47. The contact 45 iSprovided with a terminal portion 48jwhich ex tends across the open socket 39 so that when the lamp contact carrying portion -40 is seated in the socket 39, the portion 40 of the contact 40 will engage the terminal 48 to imake electrical connection through the li'ilil. c

'l e lamp 41 is removal-bly secured in the socket 39 in any desired or well known manner.

i is provided with an insulated portion 54. The

element 50 is so mounted that when it is desi to cut out the lamp 41 the element may be swung about its pivot by means of the handle 52, to cause the end 53 to pass be-- tween the contact m als 48 and 40- so that the insulated port-ion 54 will engage the contact terminal 40 and thereby interrupt the circuit.

As soon as it is desired to use the light 41 the end 53 will pass from between the contact terminals 4 to allow the latter to become active with respect to each other.

With this improved construction it will be manifest that the conductor wires 17 and 23 may be connected with a. suitable signal device located at a remote point on the vehicle such as the stop signal usually carried at the rear of the vehicle, so that the lamp 20 will be included in the circuit with the stop signal device, While the conductors 43 and 47 may be connected with the usual source for illuminating the structures carried by the dash or instrument board.

If at any time it is desired to cut out the lamp 41 so that the instrument board will not be illuminated, this may be accomplished by operating the cut out device '50.

ably detached from its support either while the hood 36 is connectedtherewith or is separated therefrom, and the hood '31 is made removable so that access may be readilg had to the lamp 20 when desired. lln or or to accomplish this, the hood 31 is rotated and adjusted so that the projections 29 will pass out or the bayonet slots 32, it bein understood that the conductors 43 and 4 which are connected with the lamp socket 39 and lamp. 41 are provided with a suflicient amount of slack within the hood 3.1 so as to permit of such detachment of the hood 31, and at the same time the conductors will not interfere with the operation ofthe lamp.

by the device may be supported upon the dash or instrumentboard 55, when the latter is constructed ofi metal and in that event a I I collar 56 is secured to the collar 11 by means .of the screws '57, the collar 56 being provided with a tubular rearwardly projecting threaded portion 58, adapted to pass through a suitable aperture 59 in the support; 55 and a fastening nut 60 may be screwed u on the threaded portion 58.

While t e preferred forms of the invention have been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction, and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the sbope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention, arid while there is shown and described a construction employing a double contact for the ps, it is to be understood that the principle of this invention may be carried into efiect with a single point contact lamp. c

What is claimed as new is:

1. combination ot a socket for an electric lamp, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received in said socket. a hood for the lamp bulb, said hood havingan open end and one or more body openings and through which latter the light rays from the lamp pass, a second electric lamp socket seated in the said open end of the hood, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received by the last recited socket, and a hood for the last recited lamp bulb, the last recited hood being detachably connected with the first said hood.

2. The combination of a socket for an electric lamp, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received in said socket, a hood for the lamp bulb, said hood having an open end and one or more body openings and through which latter the light rays from the lamp pass. a second electric lamp socket seated in the said open end of the hood, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received by the last recited socket, a hood for the last recited lamp bulb, the last recited hood being detachably connected with the first said hood, and means removably supporting the first recited hood.

3. The combination of a socket for an electric lamp, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received in said socket, a hood for the lamp bulb, said hood having an open end and one or more body openings and through which latter the light rays from the lamp pass, a second electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion which is received by the last recited socket, a hood for the last recited lamp bulb, the last recited hood being detachably connected with the first said hood, and a translucent closure for the said body opening in the first recited hood.

4. In combination, a support, a socket for an electric lamp connected with the support, a double hood embodying two hood sections detachably connected together for free separation, a partition intermediate the hoods, a socket for an electric lamp carried by the partition and opening into one of the hoods, and means detachably connecting the other of the hoods to the said support to cover the first recited socket, each of the 'hoods being provided with an opening through which light rays may be visible, each of the hoods being closed to the light rays from the other hood.

5. The combination of two hoods removably connected together, means whereby one of the said hoods will support both ofthe hoods, insulating means interposed between the said hoods, a socket for an electric lamp connected with the said insulating means, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact carrying portion adapted to be received by said socket, the said bulb being disposed within one of said hoods, a socket for an electric lamp within the other hood, and an electric lamp having a bulb' and a contact carrying portion adapted to be received by the last recited socket, the said hoods each having an opening for light rays. the rays from each of the lights being shut off from the rays of the other light.

6. In combination, a socket for an electric lamp, an electric lamp havin a bulb and a contact portion adapted to e received in said socket, a removably supported hood for the lamp, said hood having a portion through which the light from the lamp is visible, a second socket for an electric lamp supported by said hood, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact portion adapted to be received in the last said socket, and a hood for the last recited lamp, the last recited hood having an opening for light rays and being removably supported by the first recited hood.

7. In combination, a socket for an electric lamp, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contactportion adapted to be received in said socket, a removably supported hood for the lamp, said hood having a portion through which the light from the lamp'is visible, a second socket for an electric lamp supported by said hood, an electric lamp having a bulb and a contact portion adapted tolbe received in the last said socket, a

hood for the last recited lamp, the last recited hood having an opening for light rays and being removably supported by the first recited hood, and means operating to shut off the light rays from each of the lamps to the other lamp.

In testimony whereof I have, signed my name to this specification on this 26th day of October, A. D. 1922.

JOHN JOHNSTON. 

